Improvement in steam-generators



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

A. B. LATTA, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-G EN ERATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,589, dated April 12,1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. B. LATTA, of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio,have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Steam-Boilers, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal section of an improveddividing-piece constructed on my plan suitable for the division anddistribution of the water into two coils; Fig. 2, an end vie w of thesame, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of a modification of thedividingpiece suitable for distributing the water into a series ofdivision-coils.

My present improvement relates more particularly to coiled boilers. Inthis class it is an object of paramount importance to maintain a fulland continuous supply of Water through all the coils, as were some ofthem not to receive the requisite supply they would be liable to beburned where the coils are subjected to the direct action of the fire.Moreover, as the coils would thus be exposed to be overheated, such asudden and rapid generation of steam might ensue were the water then tocome in contact with their surface when heated to a high red heat as tocause dangerous explosions. The reason that it is so difficult tomaintain a regular circulation through all the coils is to be ascribedin a great measure to the fact that very often the heat in the fire-boxis not uniform throughout. Hence where the fire is more brisk around acoil a greater amount of caloric will be imparted to the water and thesteam more rapidly generated in it than in a coil around which there isless iire. It would therefore be necessary, in order that the fullsupplybe maintained, that the'water should circulate more rapidlythrough that coil; but instead of such in practice being the case incoiled boilers as heretofore constructed it will be found that on thecontrary the circulation will be retarded, as the greater pressure ortension in that coil caused by the more rapid generation of steam willpresent a considerable additional resistance to the progress of thewater. To remedy these defects and to insure a continuous and equabledistribution of the water is the object of my invention;

and it consists in regulating the supply of water to the various coilsby meansof a main or mains provided with one or more dividingpipes(corresponding in number to the number of coils to be supplied and tothe kind of dividing-pipes to be used) the outlets of which leading intothe coils are so reducedthat their aggregate sectional area shall notexceed, but on the contrary should, if anything, be considerably less,than the sectional area of the main or supply pipe, whereby the waterwill not only, where they are of equal area, be much more uniformly andequally distribnted between them than by the old method, but will, wheretheir aggregate area is less, be forced into the various coils withlsuch force as to compensate for any additional resistance that mayarise from a more rapid generation of steam in any of the various coils;to which end the sectional area of the coils is made of a size largerthan the outlets of the dividing-pipes so as to compensate for theexpansion of the water as it is heated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figs. l and 2 represent a dividing-pieceintended to be used for the distribution of the water from the main coilinto two branch coils. It consists of a curved cast-iron pipe A,provided in the middle with a mouth-piece B for the reception of the endof the main coil or pipe, on the latter of which is cut a male screwwhich takes into a female screw-thread b, out in the end of the'mouth Bof the dividingpiece. The ends O and C of this curved pipe are somewhatwidened, and also provided with a screw-thread c for the reception ofthe male screw formed on the ends of the divisioncoils. Through themiddle of the curved pipe A, directly opposite the center of themouthpiece B and leading into it, is fitted securely a partition D,whichdivides the pipe into two branches, forming, as it were, twooutlets both of which in this instance are so much reduced in area as topresent only two small holes a. and c., one foreach branch. Theseparating piece or partition D'is represented as being provided at itsouter end with a long and sharp dividing-point d, which extendssufficiently far into the piece to serve the purpose of separating ordividing the Water in two currents of equal bulk as it iows into thedividing-piece A from the main coil or pipe, whence it (the Water) isforced through the openings a, and ct into the two branches of thedividing-piece and thence into the division-coils.' By this arrangementas the water from the main'coil is forced into the division-coilsthrough reduced outlets or openings, the aggregate ot' the sectionalarea ot' which is less than that of the main coil, it (the'water) Willbe more uniformly divided between the diiferent branch coils, and it.will rush in with so much greater force or velocity as toeffectuallycounterbalance the greater pressure or resistance Vin such coils wheresteam is more rapidly generated, and thus maintain in them a moreregular circulation of Water. The capacity of these coils is made` of asize greater than thearea-of the outlets,

so as to compensate for the expansion of the Water as it is heated inthem.

Fig. 3 represents a modification of a dii-viding-piece suitable forseparating the waterof the main into a series of division-coils.l Itconsists of a number of branch pipes E, corresponding in number to thenumber of division-coils used in the boiler, and which are unitedtogether by means of short con-` necting-pipes F, the branch pipesbeingfor this purpose provided with ascrewthread at either end intowhich the ends of the con- .meeting-pipes are to be secured. Themouthpiece G of the bran ch pipes has a screw-thread cuton its innerside, into which is screwed the end of a conducting-pipe H, the otherend of which is screwed into the termination of a division-coil. At theend of this pipe is tightly Iitted or formed a metallic block or stopperI, which has a small hole or opening F running through its middle,through which the water is to be forced into the division- Witnesses:

M BENSON, B. J. HoRToN.

